Door check



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BY M United States Patent F DOOR CHECK Application January 23, 1957,Serial No. 635,754

19 Claims. (Cl. 292-278) This invention relates to holding devices ofthe kind used between swingably connected parts for holding theswingable part in different desired positions.

By way of example and without limitation on the use thereof, the holdingdevice of the present invention is herein disclosed as being of the doorcheck type and as being applied to a swingable rear door of a paneldelivery truck. In such delivery trucks it is desirable that the doorcheck be capable of holding a rear door at either a substantially 180full open position or at a substantially 90 partially open position. Thehinge arrangement and balance for such a rear door are usually such thatwhen the door is on one side of the 90 position it will tend to fallshut and when the door is at, or on the other side of the 90 position,the door will tend to fall toward the full open or 180 position.

It is also desirable that such a truck door be openable to the 180position, so as to permit the rear end of the truck to be moved up closeto a loading dock or platform without interference from the door. On theother hand, when the truck is standing at a curb or in a roadsideposition and the rear doors are opened, one of those doors, usually theleft hand door, if opened to its 180 position, will extend into theadjacent traic lane and will create a hazard. It is therefore necessarythat the door check be capable of holding the door at the 90 openposition so that the door will not extend into the adjacent traic lane.

It is further desirable that the door check be automatic in itsfunctioning, such that the different desired holding positions for thedoor will be established merely by manual swinging of the door andwithout needVr for any manual operation to be performed on the doorcheck itself.

The present invention accordingly has, as one of its objects, theprovision of a novel door check which will efficiently fulfill all ofthe above mentioned door holding requirements and which is of arelatively simple and practical form, capable of being readilymanufactured and easily installed.

Another object is to provide such a door check which will automaticallyassume an engaged condition for holding the door in an intermediate openposition, .such as a 90 position, and in which the engaged condition isautomatically releasable by a mere manual control swinging movement ofthe door to thereby permit further movement of the door to anotherpredetermined open position or to its closed position.

Still another object is to provide a novel multiple door-position doorcheck comprising an extensible articulated linkage embodying a linkageunit having relatively movable link members and pawl means effectivebetween such link members for automatically establishing or releasingdifferent holding lengths for the linkage unit in response to manualswinging of the door.

A further object is to provide a door check which will fulfill all ofthe above requirements and, at the same time, is capable of beinginstalled to lie in a substantially 2,880,029 Patented Mar. 31, 1959 ice concealed position between the door and the associated doorframe whenthe door is in its closed position, so that no part of the door checkprojects into the body space of the vehicle, where such a projectingpart might interfere with, or damage, the cargo or might cause injury toa person located in the body space and in the vicinity of the door.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in thefollowing detailed description and in the accompanying sheets ofdrawings forming a part of this specification and in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial rear end elevation of a vehicle having swingabledoors equipped with door checks embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial transverse horizontal section taken through thevehicle, as indicated by section line 2-2 of Figs. l and 13 and showingthe closed position of the left hand door and the correspondingcollapsed condition of its associated door check;

Fig. 3 is a partial transverse horizontal section similar to Fig. 2, butshowing the door as having just been swung in the opening direction toan intermediate or partially open position, and also showing theassociated door check in the condition of establishing a correspondingintermediate holding length for retaining the door in such partiallyopen position;

Fig. 4 is a partial tranverse horizontal section similar to Fig. 2, butshowing the door as having just been swung to its full open position,and also showing the corresponding fully extended door holding conditionof the associated door check;

Fig. 5 is a partial transverse horizontal section similar to Fig. 2, butshowing the door as having just been swung from its fully open positiontoward the enclosed position and presently occupying a partially openposition in which the linkage unit of the door check is substantially ona dead center line;

Fig. 6 is a larger scale partial side elevation of the door check whenviewed as indicated by the directional line 6-6 of Fig. 3 and withcertain portions of the device broken away; v

Fig. 7 is a larger scale partial plan view of the door check when viewedas indicated by the directional line 7--7 of Fig. 6 and with certainportions of the device broken away;

Fig. 8 is a partial plan view of the door check with portions thereofbroken away, illustrating different positions and movements of thecontrol pawl;

Fig. 9 is another such partial plan view with portions broken away,illustrating different positions and movements of the control pawl;

Fig. 10 is another partial side elevation of the door check when viewedfrom one side thereof, as indicated by the directional line 10-10 ofFig. 5 and with certain portions of the device broken away; d

Fig. 1l is another partial side elevation of the door check when viewedfrom the other side thereof, as indicated by the directional line 11-11of Fig. 5;

Fig. l2 is a partial plan view of the door check when viewed asindicated by the directional line 12--12 of Fig. l0 and with certainportions broken away;

Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on section line 13-13 of Figs. l and2 with the vehicle door in closed position and with the associated doorcheck appearing in end elevation;

Fig. 14 is a larger scale vertical sectional view taken transversely ofthe door check at the door-attached pivoted end thereof, as indicated bysection line 14-14 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 15 is a larger scale vertical sectional view taken y transverselyof the door check at the vehicle-attached pivoted end thereof, asindicated by section line 15-15 of Fig. 2; Fig. 16 is a partial verticalsection taken longitudinally of the door check, as indicated by sectionline 16-16 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 17 is a transverse section taken on section line 17-17 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 18 is a transverse section taken on section line 18-18 of Figs. 9and 16;

Fig. 19 is a partial transverse horizontal section taken through thevehicle, similarly to that of Fig. 2 but showing a modified form of thedoor check; and

Fig. 20 is another such transverse horizontal section through thevehicle, but showing the door as having just been swung to its full openposition, and also showing the corresponding fully extended door holdingcondition of the modified door check of Fig. 19.

The drawings show the novel door check of the present invention appliedto a delivery truck 10 of the panel body type having a doorway 11 in therear end thereof and a pair of rear doors 12 and 13 for closing suchdoorway. Door checks 14 and 15 of the novel construction provided bythis invention are applied to the doors 12 and 13 for holding the samein the desired full open, or partially open, positions in the manner tobe explained hereinafter. The door checks 14 and 15 are identical inconstruction, with the exception that they are for right-hand andleft-hand installation to suit the right-hand and left-hand doors 12 and13 to which they are applied.

The doorway 11 of the truck 10 is defined by body portions constitutinga doorframe structure which includes upright side edge or pillarportions 16 and 17 and a transverse top wall portion or lintel 18. Thedoors 12 and 13 are swingably mounted on the upright doorframe portions16 and 17 by pairs of suitable hinges 19 which are attached to thesedoorframe portions and to the adjacent upright edge portions 20 and 21of the doors. When the doors are in their closed position, as shown inFigs. l and 2, their free edges 22 and 23 are in a meeting or engagedrelation in or adjacent a common parting plane, and in this instance,the edge portion of the left hand door 13 is provided with a stop flange25 with which the edge portion of the right-hand door 12 has an abuttingengagement in an overlapping relation thereto, as shown in Fig. 2.

The right-hand door 12 is here shown as provided with a suitable handle26 for swinging the same and, if desired, a similar handle can beprovided on the door 13. The doors 12 and 13 also include an upper edgewall 28 which is located adjacent to but below the transverse doorframeportion 18 when the doors are in their closed position.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference need be madeonly to the left-hand door 13 and to the door check associatedtherewith. As shown in the drawings, the door 13 is swingable from theclosed position 13FL of Fig. 2 to the intermediate and full openposition 13b and 13c of Figs. 3 and 4. The intermediate position 13b isa substantially 90 open position and the position 13c is a substantially180 open position.

The location of the hinges 19 is such that if the door 13 is in its 90position 13b and is then released, it will tend to fall open toward its180 position 13C, and if the door is somewhat to the right of the 90position 13b when it is released, it will tend to fall shut. As will beexplained more fully hereinafter, the door check 15 has an engagedcondition providing an intermediate doorholding length for holding thedoor 13 in the 90 position 13b and also has a second engaged condition,which in F this case is its fully extended length, for holding the doorin the 180 position 13.

. The door check. 15 is in the form of an extensible articulated linkagewhich comprises, in general, a pair of anchorage or attaching members 29and 3Q for connecting the opposite ends of the linkage with the door anddoorframe structures respectively, and a linkage unit 31 extendingbetween the attaching members and comprising a pair of link members 32and 33 having their adjacent ends in an overlapping or telescopingrelation. The door check 15 also comprises a control pawl 35, which iseffective between the link members 32 and 33 as hereinafter explained ingreater detail, for establishing and releasing different door holdinglengths for the linkage unit 31.

The attaching member 29 can be of any appropriate form and is here shownas comprising a substantially flat plate bracket adapted to be securedto the top edge wall 28 of the door 13 by the connecting screws 36. Theouter end of the link member 32 carries a fixed pivot pin 37 whichextends through an opening of the bracket 29 and pivotally connects suchouter end with this bracket. As shown in Fig. 14, the outer end of thelink member 32 is provided with a boss 38 on which the pivot pin 37 ismounted and which bears against the bracket 29. The pivot pin 37 isprovided with a head 37a located in spaced relation to the link member32 and a spring washer 39 disposed under the head acts to take up lostmotion in the pivotal connection thus d established.

The attaching member 30 can likewise be a bracket made of sheet metal orplate material and is here shown as being of a substantially L-shapedform having substantially right-angularly disposed flat upright andhorizontal legs 40 and 41. The bracket 30 can be mounted on the doorframe member 18 with the fiat upright leg 40 secured thereagainst by theconnecting screws 42.

The outer end of the link member 33 has the upper side thereof inbearing engagement with the leg 41 of the bracket 30 and carries a fixedpivot pin 44 by which such outer end is pivotally connected with thishorizontal leg of the bracket. As shown in Fig. 14, the pivot pin 44 hasa head 44a disposed in spaced relation to the link member 33 and aspring washer 46 located between such head and link member acts to takeup looseness in the pivotal connection thus established.

As shown in Figs. 14 and l5, the opening of the brackets 29 and 30through which the pivot pins 37 and 44 extend, are of a size to afford adesired clearance such that there will be flexibility in the pivotalconnections between the linkage unit 31 and these brackets. Thisflexibility is provided, in part, by the spring washers 39 and 46 whichalso prevent rattling between the adjacent parts. Such flexibility inthe pivotal connections allows for misalignment which may occur in theparts of the door check itself but, more particularly, for misalignmentoccurring between the door and doorframe members to which the door checkis to be applied.

The link member 32 can be a substantially straight bar of an appropriatelength and is here shown as being a sheet metal member of achannel-shaped cross-section having a substantially flat longitudinalweb portion 47 and substantially parallel longitudinal side flanges 48and 49. The link member 33 can likewise be a substantially straight barof an appropriate length and is here shown as being a sheet metal memberof a channel-shaped crosssection having a substantially flatlongitudinal web portion 51 and substantially parallel longitudinal sideflanges 52 and 53.

The width and depth of the channel recess 54 of the link member 33 aresuch that the link member 32 is snugly and telescopingly received insuch channel recess and is longitudinally slidable therein. The sideflanges 52 and 53 of the link member 33 are provided with n-turnedlongitudinal edges defining a pair of retaining flanges 55 and 56 forretaining the link member 32 in the channel recess S4. The longitudinaledge flanges 55 and 56 also form a stiffening means for increasing therigidity of the link member 33.

assaoan The link member 32 preferably also has the longitudinaledgeportions of the side flanges 48 and 49 thereof deflected inwardly toform stirmrening flanges 57 and 58. The link member 32 is disposed inthe link member 33 with its longitudinal channel recess 59 facing towardltjhe longitudinal web portion 51 of the latter link mem- The pawl 35 ismounted on one of the link members in this case, the link member 32adjacent the inner end thereof with the body portion 352'L of the pawlhoused in the channel recess 59. As shown in Figs. and 16, the webportion 47 of the link member 32 is provided with a fixed pivot pin 61on which th pawl 35 is swingably mounted.

As best seen in Figs. 7 and 8, the pawl 35 is provided withsubstantially oppositely extending first and second control lingers 63and 64, and is also provided at an intermediate point thereof with astop finger 65 located in a substantially radially extending relation tothe axis of the pivot pin 61. The longitudinal side anges 48 and 49 ofthe link member 32 are provided with openings 67 and 68 (see Figs. 10,11 and 12) adjacent the location of the pawl to accommodate the controlfingers 63 and 64 and permit movement of those control fingers extendedan-d retracted positions during swinging of the pawl on the pivot pin61.

At a point adjacent the pawl 35, the link member 32 is provided with aprojection, in this case, a lug 69 deflected from the web 47 andextending into the channel recess 59. The lug 69 is engageable by one orthe other of the control fingers 63 and 64 and prevents a full rotationof the pawl 35 on the pivot pin 61.

A retarding washer 62, disposed between the pawl and the head of thepivot pin 61, prevents a too-free oscillation of the pawl such as mightbe caused by inertia effects and might render the pawl positionsinaccurate. The washer 62 provides a frictional or drag effect on thepawl and can be a wavy spring washer or a washer made of a suitablefriction material.

From the construction of the door check 15 as thus far decribed, it willbe seen that the link member 32 is telescopingly slidable in the linkmember 33 and is confined by the side flanges of the latter to asubstantially straight-line relative longitudinal movement between thelink members. It will also be seen that since the pawl 35 is pivotallymounted on the link member 32, it will be movable with the latter alongthe link member 33 during such relative longitudinal sliding movement.

To accommodate this longitudinal translatory movement of the pawl 35,one of the side flanges of the link member 33, in this instance the sideflange 52, is cut away (see Fig. 10) for a substantial portion of itslength to provide a clearance opening 70 therein for the pawl. The sideflange S2 is provided with a control stop 71 (see Figs. 6, 7 and 9)which, in this instance, is formed by an edge or shoulder carried bythis flange and located at the inner end of the clearance opening 70.

The otherY side ange of the link member 33, in this instance the sideange 53, is provided with longitudinally spaced clearance openings 72and 73 (see Fig. 11) which accommodate the fingers of the pawl 35 duringswinging thereof and thus provide swing locations spaced apart along onelink member 33. The side flange 53 of the link member 33 is alsoprovided with a pair of longitudinally spaced control stops 74 and 75which, in this instance, are formed by the edge portions or shoulders ofthe side ange 53 which face toward the respective clearance openings 72and 73. The control stops 71, 74 and 75 are engageable by the fingers ofthe pawl 35 in a manner and for the purposes explained in detailhereinafter.

As shown in the drawings, one of the link members, in this instance thelink member 33, is provided adjacent the inner end thereof with acontrol stop 77 which is preferably in the form of a xed pin mounted onthe web portion 51. The stop 7 7 projects into the channel recess 59between the longitudinal edge flanges 57 and 58 of the link member 32and is engageable by a stop means provided on the latter link memberwhen the door check is in its fully extended condition shown in Fig. 4,to thereby establish an extended holding length for the door check 15.The stop means of the link member 32 which engages the control stop 77is, in this case, the finger 63 of the pawl 35 while the latter is heldagainst swinging byfone or both of the side anges 52 and 53 which arethen in covering relation to the clearance openings 67 and 68 as shownin Fig. 9. The engagement of the body portion of the pawl withthecontrol stop 77 also prevents a complete axial separation between theoverlapped inner ends of the link members 32 and 33.

The link member 33 is also provided with a control stop 80 adjacent theouter end thereof and which control stop projects into the channelrecess 59 so as to be engageable by the pawl 35 when the door check isactuated to its fully contracted or collapsed condition shown in Fig. 5.The control stop 80 is here shown as being an inwardly deflected lugformed by a portion of the web 51 of the link member 33. In the doorcheck 15 the control stop 80 is located on the link member 33 at a pointoutwardly of or beyond the pivot pin 44.

During the translatory movement of the pawl 35 with the link member 32as just above referred to, the pawl is carried to two different triplocations along the door check 15, one such trip location being adjacentthe bracket 30 and the other being adjacent the mid-point of the linkmember 33. When the pawl 35 is carried to or along the first of thesetrip locations, it is successively actuated to two different trippositions. Likewise, when the pawl 35 is moved to or along the secondtrip location, it is actuated to two other different trip positions.

The actuation of the door check will now be described in detail withreference to the above-mentioned two trip locations and theabove-mentioned different trip positions of the pawl 35 will be pointedout in the drawings. For such detailed description of operation let itbe assumed that the door 13 is in its full open or 180 position 13cshown in Fig. 4 and that the door is about to be swung therefrom in aclosing direction, as indicated by the arcuate directional arrow 81. Atthis time the pawl 35 occupies a substantially fully retracted position3Sb in the channel recess 59, as shown in full lines in Fig. 9 and inbroken lines in Figs. 4 and 5, and has the finger 63 thereof inengagement with the stop pin 77 of the link member 33. This engagementof the pawl with the stop pin 77 is at this time retaining the door 13against opening movement beyond its 180 position and the check device 15is in its fully extended condition.

The closing movement of the door 13 from such fully open position 13'sadvances the link member 32 into the link member 33, as indicated by thestraight directional arrow 82, and thereby moves the pawl 35 toward thecontrol stop 80 and to the trip location adjacent the bracket 30. Whenthe door 13 reaches the position 13"1 of Fig. 5 in which the door check15 is substantially on the dead center line 83 and is in its fullycollapsed condition, the pawl 35 has come into engagement with thecontrol stop 80 and has been swung by the latter in a clockwisedirection to the first trip position 35c (shown in Figs. 5 and 12), inwhich the fingers 63 and 64 of the pawl project outwardly from oppositesides of the link member 33. As the door 13 swings further in theclosing direction from the position 113d the door check 15 movesIinwardly of the vehicle body and beyond the dead center line 83,whereupon the door check is subjected to a lengthening or expandingaction by a partial withdrawal of the link member 32 from the linkmember 33, as represented by the condition of the door check shown inFig. 2. During this lengthening action, the finger 63 of the pawl 35engages the control stop 74 causing a further clockwise swinging of thepawl (as seen in Fig. 12) to the position 35d shown in broken lines inFigs. 2, 7 and 12. The door 13 has now arrived at its fully closedposition 13a of Fig. 2 and the pawl 35 occupies a trip position in whichthe stop finger 65 projects in an extended relation beyond the sideflange 52 of the link member 33.

When the pawl 35 is in the trip position 35d of Figs. 2, 7 and 12 withthe stop finger 65 in an extended relation, the door check 15 is in acondition such that during the next opening movement of the door 13 thestop finger 65 will be in a ready position for engagement with thecontrol stop 71. The arcuate arrow 84 of Figs. 2 and 3 is indicative ofthis opening movement of the door from its fully closed position and thestraight arrow 85 is indicative of the corresponding withdrawal movementof the link member 32. When the door arrives at the 90 open position 13bshown in full lines in Fig. 3, the pawl 35 will have been carried alongthe link member 33 to the second trip location and to the point wherethe stop finger 65 comes into engagement with the control stop 71 andthe pawl thereupon assumes the trip position 35e shown in full lines inFig. 7. The engagement of the stop finger 65 with the control stop 71limits further expanding movement of the door check and establishes aholding length for the door check by which the door is restrainedagainst further swinging in the opening direction and is maintained atthe 90 open position.

While the pawl 35 is being advanced toward the fullline trip position35e of Fig. 7 it lies in the channel recess 59 in the broken lineposition 35d and, when the stop finger 65 comes into engagement with thecontrol stop 71, the pawl is swung by the latter in a counter-clockwisedirection on the pivot pin 61, thereby moving the pawl to the tripposition 35e. When the pawl is in the trip position 35e the controlfinger 63 is in an extended position projecting somewhat from thechannel recess 59 through the side flange openings 68 and 73 of the linkmembers 32 and 33. At this time the control finger 64 of the pawlengages the inner surface of the side flange 52 of the link member 33and which engagement prevents rotation of the pawl in thecounter-clockwise direction beyond the full line trip position 35e shownin Fig. 7.

If the vehicle operator wishes to swing the door 13 from its 90 postion13b of Fig. 3 to its closed position, he can readily do so by animmediate and direct swinging of the door to such closed position. If,however, the operator wishes to swing the door from the 90 position 13bto the fully open position 13, he must first cause or initiate a tripactuation of the pawl 35 for retracting the stop linger 65. This isaccomplished by imparting to the door a partial closing movement, as acontrol movement to cause or initiate such trip actuation of the pawl,after which the door can be freely swung to the fully open position 13.

This control swinging of the door 13 from the 90 position 13b in theclosing direction need be for only a small arcuate distance forinitiating the trip actuation of the pawl 35 for retracting, orpartially retracting, the stop finger 65. As shown in Fig. 7, thecontrol finger 63 is at this time already in a partially extendedposition, and hence, the control swinging movement of the door in theclosing direction from the 90 position 13b will cause this controlfinger to come into engagement with the control stop 75 of the linkmember 33 with the inclined side edge 86 of this control finger slidingagainst and across this control stop 75, thereby causing swinging of thepawl in a counter-clockwise direction from the position 35e of Figs. 7and 8 to partially retract the stop finger 65.

This counter-clockwise rotation of the pawl 35 by the engagement of thecontrol finger 63 with the control stop 75, immediately causes thecontrol finger 64 to be partially extended on the opposite side of thelinkage unit, whereupon the desired swinging of the door in an openingdirection and beyond the intermediate position 13b, can be accomplished.The retraction of the stop finger is then completed by a furthercounter-clockwise rotation of the pawl by the engagement of the sideedge 87 of the control finger 64 against the control stop 71. As theopening movement of the door continues, the side edge 87 of the controlfinger 64 wipes across the control stop 71 causing the pawl to befurther swung in the counter-clockwise direction, as shown in Figs. 8and 9, until the pawl has been swung through approximately 180 from theposition 35 of Fig. 7 to the fully retracted position 35b of Fig. 9.

The control swinging of the door in the closing direction could, ofcourse, be carried through a sufficient arcuate distance to causesubstantially all of the 180 counter-clockwise swinging of the pawl 35from the position 35e of Fig. 7 to the position 35b of Fig. 9. In thatcase, the side edge 86 of the control finger 63 remains in engagementwith the control stop for a longer interval and the counter-clockwiseswinging of the pawl is produced to a major extent by this control stop.

When the pawl 35 has been thus moved to its substantially fullyretracted position 35b by the above-mentioned control swinging of thedoor 13 in the closing direction, the door can then be swung freely toits fully `open position 13C, whereupon the control finger 63 comes intoengagement with the stop pin 77, as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 9, tothereby maintain the door in the fully open position by preventingopening movement beyond the 180 position, as previously mentioned above.While the door is left in the fully open position, the pawl 35 remainsin its fully retracted position 35'D of Figs. 4 and 9, such that it willbe freely movable along the link member 33 during the succeeding closingmovement of the door. From the foregoing detailed description of theoperation, it will be seen that functioning of the door check 15 hasbeen carried through a full cycle of operation with respect to theclosing and opening swinging movements of the door.

Figs. 19 and 20 show a door check 90 which is of a construction verysimilar to that of the door check 15 but which represents a modificationthereof and possesses certain advantages thereover. In general, the doorcheck 90 comprises similar component parts as the door check 15 andwhich corresponding component parts have been designated by the samereference characters.

One difference between the modified door check 90 and the abovedescribed door check 15 is that the door check 90 is installed in thevehicle 10 in a position in which linkage unit 31 of the door check 15is inverted and is reversed end for end. The term inverted, as hereused, means that the linkage unit 31 has been rotated about itslongitudinal axis through or to a position which is upside down withrespect to the position in which the door check 15 is installed. In thisinverted and reversed installation position of the door check 90, thepawl 35 remains in one location inasmuch as the link member 32 on whichit is pivotally mounted is now attached to the vehicle by an anchoragemember or bracket 91. In the door check 90, the link member 33 isattached to the door 13 by an anchorage member or bracket 92 and isactuated by the door for longitudinal movement relative to the linkmember 32.

The link members 32 and 33 carry the same control stops for performingthe same functions as have already been described above for the doorcheck 15, but in this case, the outer end of the link member 33 isconnected with the bracket 92 by the pivot pin 37 and the outer end ofthe link member 32 is connected with the bracket 91 by the pivot pin 44.Likewise, the pawl 35 is swung on its pivot pin 61 in the same mannerand to the various control positions which have been described above forthe pawl of the door check 15.

When the door check 90 has been thus installed in the above describedrelatively reversed and inverted condi-'- tion, the portions of the linkmembers 32 and 33 which are nearest the bracket 91 will provide arelatively smooth hand grasp means by which the vehicle operator canassist himself in climbing into the open rear end of the vehicle. Sincethe pawl 35 is on the inner end of the link member 32, it will be in aspaced relation to the bracket 30 and will not be engaged by theoperators hand when he grasps the linkage unit 31 for climbing into orout of the vehicle, and personal injury to the operator is thereforeless likely to occur.

Another advantage of the door check 90 is that in its installed positionit lies substantially wholly between the upper edge wall of the door andthe adjacent upper edge wall of the doorframe when the door is in itsclosed position. This is a relatively concealed and housed position forthe door check in which no part of the device projects into the cargo orpassenger space of the vehicle body to interfere with or damage thecargo or to cause' personal injury to a passenger.

A structural difference of the door check 90 is present in the bracket92 by which the outer end of the link member 33 is pivotally connectedwith the door 13. The bracket 92 diliers from the bracket 29 of the doorcheck in that it is provided with an extension portion 93 carrying acontrol stop 94. The control stop 94 projects upwardly from the arm 93and is located in an adjacently spaced relation to the pivot pin 37 soas to be engageable by the adjacent side llange of the link member 33when the door 13 arrives at its fully open position 13C.

The engagement of the link member 33 with the stop 94 prevents furthertransverse relative swinging movement between this link member and thebracket 92, such that the door 13 is powerfully resisted against furtherswinging in the opening direction. This door checking function of thestop 94 prevents the application of excessive loads to the hinges 19 andthus reduces the likelihood of springing or otherwise damaging suchhinges.

From the accompanying drawings and the foregoing detailed description itwill now be readily understood that this invention provides a novelholding device for controlling the opening movements of a door, or otherswingable member, and in which a control pawl for establishing differentholding lengths for the device is actuated automatically to its dilerentextended and retracted positions entirely in response to manual controlswinging movements of the door.

Although the novel holding device of the present invention has beenillustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent, it willbe understood, of course, that the invention is not to be regarded asbeing limited correspondingly in scope, but includes all changes andmodifications coming within the terms of the claims hereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a check device for use between relatively swingably connectedstructures, an extensible linkage unit comprising a pair of relativelylongitudinally movable link members, attaching means adjacent the endsof said unit yand adapted for pivotally connecting said ends with saidsaid structures, stop means on said link members for cooperatingengagement when said unit is substantially fully extended, a pawl havinga stop linger and a control linger, said pawl being supported by one ofsaid link members for swinging relative thereto for moving said stoplinger from an extended position to a retracted position and vice versa,means on the other of said link members and engageable with said controllinger for causing such movement of said stop linger to and from itsextended position, said 'link members having a substantially freerelative longitudinal movement for lengthening or shortening said unitwhen said stop linger is in its retracted position, and stop means onthe other of said link members and engageable with said stop fingerwhenthe latter is in its extended position for preventing,

extension of said unit beyond an intermediate holding length. v

2. In a check device for use between relatively swingably connectedstructures, an extensible linkage unit comprising a pair of relativelylongitudinally movable link members, attaching means adjacent the endsof said unit and adapted for pivotally connecting said ends with saidsaid structures, stop means on said link members for cooperatingengagement when said unit is substantially fully extended, a pawl havinga stop nger and rst and second control lingers, said pawl beingsupported by one of said link members .for swinging relative thereto formoving said stop linger and said lirst control linger from extendedpositions to retracted positions and vice versa,

means on the other of said link members and engageable with said firstcontrol linger when the latter is in its extended position for causingthe movement of said stop nger to and from its extended position, meanson said other link member and engageable with said second control ngerfor causing movement of said lirst control linger to its extendedposition, and means on said other link member and engageable with saidstop finger when the latter is in its extended position for preventingex tension of said unit beyond a given holding length.

3. ln a check device for use between relatively swingably connectedstructures, an extensible linkage unit comprising a pair of relativelylongitudinally movable link members, attaching means adjacent the endsof said unit and adapted for pivotally connecting said ends with saidstructures, stop means on `said link members for coop` eratingengagement when said unit is substantially fully extended, a pawl havinga stop linger and a control finger, said pawl being supported by one ofsaid link members for swinging relative thereto for moving said stoplinger and said control finger from extended positions to retractedpositions and vice versa, said control linger having a rst extendedposition and a second extended position, means on the other link memberand engageable with said control linger when the latter is in its firstextended position for causing movement of said stop linger to itsextended position, means on said other link member and engageable withsaid stop linger when the latter is in its extended position forpreventing extension of -said unit beyond a given holding length, andmeans on said other link member and engageable with said control lingerwhen the latter is in its second extended position for causing` movementof said stop linger to its retracted position.

4. In a check device for use between relatively swingably connectedstructures, an extensible linkage unit comprising a pair of relativelylongitudinally movable link members, attaching means adjacent the endsof said unit and adapted for pivotally connecting said ends with said`said stop linger and said lirst control linger from extendedy positionsto retracted positions and vice versa, said first control linger havinga first extended position and a second extended position, said secondcontrol linger having an eliective position and an ineffective position,means on the other link member and engageable with said first controlfinger when the latter is in its lirst extended position for causingmovement of said stop linger to its extended position, stop means onsaid other link member and engageable with said stop linger when thelatter is in its extended position for preventing extension of said unitbeyond a given holding length, means on said other link member andengageable with said lirst control-linger when the latter is in itssecond extended position for causing movement of said stop linger to itsretracted .position and movement of said second control finger to.

`11 its effective position, and means on said other link member andengageable with said second control finger when the latter is in itseffective position for causing movement of said first control finger toits first extended position.

5. A check device as defined in claim l in which said link members aretelescopingly slidable channel members having longitudinal side flangesin adjacent relation, and in which said fianges have openings therein toaccommodate the fingers of said pawl when said fingers are moved toextended positions.

6. A check device as defined in claim 2 in which said link members aretelescopingly slidable channel members having longitudinal side fiangesin adjacent relation and provided with openings to accommodate thefingers of said pawl when said fingers are moved to extended positions,and in which said fianges are engageable by said control fingers fornormally preventing full rotation of said pawl.

7. A check device as defined in claim 4 in which said linkage unit ishollow and said pawl is located within said unit and said fingers are ofa length to extend to the exterior of said unit, and in which theengagement of said stop finger with said stop means is also effective tocause movement of said first control finger to its second extendedposition.

8. A check device as defined in claim 4 in which the means on said otherlink member and engageable with said first control finger comprisesfirst and second shoulders, said first shoulder being engageable withone side of said first control finger in response to an extensiblerelative longitudinal movement between said link members and said secondshoulder being engageable with the opposite side of said first controlfinger in response to a contracting relative longitudinal movementbetween said link members.

9. A holding device of the character described comprising, a pair ofrelatively longitudinally slidable link members having their adjacentends in overlapping relation, said link member being channel shapedmembers each having a web portion and a pair of side fianges, anchoragepivots on said link members adjacent the outer ends thereof, stop meanson said link members for cooperating engagement when the link membersare substantially fully extended, a pawl having a stop finger and acontrol finger and being swingably mounted on the web portion of one ofsaid link members for movement of said fingers from extended positionsto retracted positions and vice versa, the side fianges of said linkmembers having openings therein to accommodate said fingers when theyare in their extended positions, first and second control shoulders onone side flange of the other of said link members and engageable withsaid control finger for causing movement of said stop finger to and fromits extended position, and a stop shoulder on the other side fiange ofsaid other link member and engageable with said stop finger when thelatter is in its extended position for preventing extension of said linkmembers beyond a given holding length.

10. In a door check for mounting between a support structure and a doorstructure connected with said support structure for swinging to closedand open positions, a linkage unit comprising a pair of relativelylongitudinally movable link members, a pawl pivoted on one of said linkmembers and having control finger means and a stop finger, said pawlbeing swingable for extending and retracting said stop finger, andcontrol means on the other of said link members and engageable with saidpawl in response to such relative longitudinal movement, said linkageunit being movable to a substantially dead-center collapsed positionduring swinging of said door toward its closed position, said linkageunit being also movable beyond said dead-center position and subjectedto a partial lengthening thereof as said door approaches its fullyclosed position, said control means comprising a first control elementengageable with said control finger means to cause a partial swinging ofsaid pawl upon movement of said linkage unit to said dead-centerposition and a second control element engageable with said controlfinger means during said partial lengthening to cause a further swingingof said pawl for extending said stop finger, said linkage unit beingsubjected to a further lengthening during swinging of said door in anopening direction from said closed position, said control means alsocomprising stop means engageable with said stop finger during theopening swinging movement of said door.

11. In a check device for use between a support structure and a doorstructure connected to said support structure by vertical-axis hingemeans for swinging through an intermediate position to either of twoextreme positions comprising a closed position and a full-open position;a collapsible and extensible linkage unit comprising a pair ofrelatively longitudinally movable link members extending in alongitudinally aligned relation and having their adjacent ends in anoverlapped relation; one of said link members having side wall means anda longitudinal guideway and the other of said link members beingslidably movable in opposite directions in said guideway; attachingmembers adjacent the ends of said unit for pivotally connecting theouter ends of said link members with said door and door-supportstructures; a pawl located in said guideway and pivotally mounted onsaid other link member adjacent the inner end of the latter; a firststop on said one link member adjacent the inner end thereof andprojecting into said guideway; said pawl and first stop having a mutualengagement therebetween when said unit is in a substantially fullyextended condition for checking opening movement of said door structurewhen the latter reaches said full-open position; a second stop on saidwall means and located at an intermediate point of the length of saidone link member; said pawl having finger means thereon and said pawlbeing positionable and repositionable by swinging thereof betweenretracted position in which said finger means lies within said guidewayand extended position in which said finger means projects from saidguideway; said finger means and second stop having a mutual engagementtherebetween when said pawl is in extended position to establish anintermediate holding length of said unit for checking opening movementof said door structure at said intermediate position thereof; a firstcontrol element on said one link member adjacent the outer end thereofand projecting into said guideway; and second control elements on saidwall means at spaced points along said one link member; said firstcontrol element and pawl having a mutual engagement therebetween whensaid unit assumes a substantially collapsed condition, and said secondcontrol elements and finger means having mutual engagement therebetweenduring the relative longitudinal movement between said link members; themutual engagement between said control elements and pawl being effectiveto cause the positioning and repositioning swinging movement of saidpawl.

l2. A check device as defined in claim ll and wherein said link membersare telescopingly slidable channelshaped members and the side wall meansof said one link member comprises longitudinal edge flanges having saidsecond stop and said second control elements thereon; said edge flangeshaving openings therein adjacent said second stop and said secondcontrol elements to accommodate the finger means of said pawl when thepawl is in extended position.

13. A check device as defined in claim ll and wherein said link membersare telescopingly slidable channelshaped members having longitudinal webportions in a parallel relation; and wherein the side wall means of saidone link member comprises longitudinal edge fianges having said secondstop and said second control elements thereon; said first stop and saidfirst control element being located on the web portion of said one linkmember and said pawl being pivotally mounted on the web poruur.

tion of said other link member; said edge fianges having openingstherein adjacent said second stop and said seeond control elements toaccommodate the finger means of said pawl when the pawl is in extendedposition.

14. A check device as defined in claim ll and wherein said pawl has abody portion swingable about a pivot axis; and wherein said linger meanscomprises a control finger co-operable with said second control elementsand projecting from said body portion on one side of said pivot axis,and a stop finger cooperable with said second stop and projecting fromsaid body portion on the other side of said pivot axis.

15. A check device as defined in claim 1l and wherein said pawl has abody portion swingable about a pivot axis; and wherein said finger meanscomprises control fingers projecting from said body portion on oppositesides of said pivot axis and at least one of which control fingers iscooperable with said second control elements, and a stop fingerco-operable with said second stop and projecting from said body portionat a point between said control fingers.

16. A check device as defined in claim 1l and wherein one of saidattaching members comprises a bracket secured to said door structure andhaving a rigid projection forming a third stop located in an offsetrelation on the door-hinge side of the pivotal connection of saidlinkage unit with said bracket; said third stop being engageable by saidlinkage unit when the latter is in its fully extended condition forreducing lateral thrust on said hinge means transversely of the hingeaxis.

17. In a check device for use between a support structure and a doorstructure connected to said support structure for swinging through anintermediate position to either of two extreme positions comprising aclosed posi tion and a full-open position;

said walls; a second link member slidably movable in said guideway;means pivotally connecting said first link member with one of saidstructures; means pivotally connecting said second link member with theother of said structures; a-pawl pivotally mounted on said second linkmem ber so as to lie in said guideway and having control finger meansand a stop finger; said pawl having a relative translatory movement inopposite directions along a path provided by said guideway, and apivotal movement between extended position in which said stop fingerprojects from said guideway and retracted position in which said stopfinger lies within said guideway; a stop element on one of said sidewalls; said stop finger and stop element being mutually engageable forchecking opening swinging movement of said door structure at saidintermediate position when said pawl is in extended position; andcontrol elements on the other of said side walls; said control fingermeans and said control elements being mutually engageable in response tothe relative translatory movement of said pawl for causing the pivotalmovement of the pawl for moving said stop finger between its extendedand retracted positions.

a first link member having spaced longitudinal side walls and a guidewaybetween 18. In a check device for use between a Ysummit struc ture and adoor structure connected to said support structure for swinging throughan intermediate position vto either of two extreme positions comprisinga closed position and a full-open position; a first link member havingspaced longitudinal side walls and a guideway between said walls; asecond link member slidably movable in said guideway; means pivotallyconnecting said first link member with one of said structures; meanspivotally connecting said second link member with the other of saidstructures; a pawl pivotally mounted on said second link member so as tolie in said guideway and having control finger means and a stop finger;said pawl having a rela tive translatory movement in opposite directionsalong Ya path provided by said guideway, and a pivotal movement betweenextended position in which said stop finger projects from said guidewayand retracted position in which said stop finger lies within saidguideway; a first stop element on said first link member and projectinginto said guideway at one end of said path; said first stop ele ment andpawl being mutually engageable for checking opening movement of saiddoor structure when the latter reaches said full-open position; a secondstop element on one of said side walls; said second stop element andsaid stop finger being mutually engageable for checking opening movementof said door structure at said intermediate position when said stopfinger is in extended position; a first control element on said firstlink member and projecting into said guideway at the opposite end ofsaid path; and other control elements on the other of said side walls;said first control element and finger means being mutually engageableand said other control elements and finger means being mutuallyengageable, in response to the relative translatory movement of saidpawl 'for causing the pivotal movement of the pawl for moving said stopfinger between its extended and retracted positions.

19. A check device as defined in claim 11 and intended for use on avehicle body containing a compartment and in association with door anddoor support structures having upper edeg wall portions lying in anopposed relation when the door structure is in its closed position,wherein said attaching members are adapted for connection with said edgewall portions; and wherein said check device is housed between said edgewall portions with no portion of the device projecting into saidcompartment, when said door structure is in its closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,001,507 Stribling May 14, 1935 2,196,779 Persson Apr. 9, 19402,229,512 Lustig Jan. 21, 1941 2,264,382 Keller Dec. 2, 1941 2,614,285Snell Oct. 21, 1952 2,797,119 Hollansworth June 25, 1957

